The present invention generally relates to shortening compositions that contain substantial quantities of a lauric fat and that are flowable or pourable at room temperature or below. More particularly, the pourable shortening compositions according to this invention contain substantial quantities of a lauric fat component such as coconut oil to provide the flavoring and advantageous properties and characteristics associated with coconut oil without the disadvantage of having such composition be solid or only pumpable, as opposed to readily pourable, at ambient temperatures such as room temperature or even below. These compositions are formulated so as to provide a system which is pourable without having to be heated to above room temperature. The pourable compositions according to the invention exhibit a eutectic solids profile at relatively low temperatures.
Shortening products which are easy to handle and convenient to store have been developed over the years in an effort to provide cooking or griddle shortenings which are readily pourable so as to be easy to handle, for example during use by institutional cooks during food preparation. Pourable products are also sought as substitutes for butter or margarine because they are more convenient to use and store and are less expensive than whole, real butter. Pourable products have been formulated in the past. At times, such products have been proposed to include lauric fats such as coconut oil in order to utilize the advantageous properties and characteristics normally associated with coconut oil and other lauric fats, most notably their ability to withstand the rigors of high heat pan frying. Lauric fats which are solid at room temperature are known to provide protection from undesirable deterioration of a shortening during high heat uses. Such deterioration can be manifested by the development of gimming, by varnish formation, by the onset of discoloration and the like. Griddle or frying shortenings containing substantial quantities of solid lauric fats are associated with cleaner frying operations. These types of prior shortening products themselves take on substantially solid forms, including stick or whipped products, or perhaps products that can pumped, such as those having the handling properties, consistency or viscosity of unhydrogenated peanut butter or viscous latex paint. They are not pourable at room temperature or below, some of them being in the nature of non-pourable plastic compositions that are distributed in tins, tubs or other wide-mouthed containers.
In accordance with the present invention, not only are shortening compositions provided which contain a lauric fat component, but also they exhibit pourability at room temperature or below. An edible liquid base shortening component comprises a majority of the shortening composition according to this invention, which further include up to as much about 30 weight percent or more of a lauric fat component such as coconut oil. These compositions exhibit a eutectic solid profile wherein the solids content of the composition is lower--at a given temperature, including temperatures below room temperatures--than the sum of the respective solids contents of the individual components of the composition according to the invention.
It is accordingly a general object of the present invention to provide an improved pourable shortening composition that contains coconut oil or other lauric fat.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved shortening composition that is pourable at room temperature or even lower and which includes substantial amounts of coconut oil in a eutectic combination with liquid shortening components.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved shortening for high heat applications which is pourable yet withstands the rigors of high heat cooking and the like.
These and other objects, features and advantages of this invention will be clearly understood through a consideration of the following detailed description.